


(you make me) melt

by crimson_calamity



Category: GOT7
Genre: Alternate Universe - Science Fiction, Fluff, M/M, Mild Language, Minor Injuries, Pining
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-24
Updated: 2019-07-06
Packaged: 2020-03-13 18:16:04
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 14,812
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18946282
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/crimson_calamity/pseuds/crimson_calamity
Summary: To: Safety Officer Wang Jackson,Due to his repeated injuries - all thankfully minor so far - and apparent disregard for his own safety and wellbeing, it is my recommendation that Acting Chief Engineer Park Jinyoung resit the Health and Safety Accreditation Examination and refamiliarize himself with the ship's emergency procedures. It is my current view however that he should not be terminated or suspended long-term, but that he should sit the exam under your supervision at your earliest convenience and be allowed to return to his duties.Many Thanks,Chief Medical Officer Im JaebeomP.S. I get that he's your best friend but please don't let him off the hook this time, I'm not above cc-ing the captain into my next report.In which Jinyoung is a brilliant if reckless starship engineer and Jaebeom is a long-suffering medical officer who just wishes his crush wasn't so accident-prone.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> y'all ready for some sweet fuckin sci-fi

“I think you should take this one.” Youngjae says with a grin, shoving a datapad unceremoniously into Jaebeom's chest. Huffing, Jaebeom automatically catches it when he lets go, shooting him a suspicious glare. “Exam room three. You're welcome.” He says airily, quickly donning a pair of gloves and vanishing from the office with a wiggle of blue fingers and a sly wink. Resisting the urge to swear after him, Jaebeom sighs and heads out too, past the - for now - thankfully empty beds on the ward and towards the exam rooms at the front of the medical wing, unlocking the datapad as he reaches the sliding doors.

“Good afternoon, what-” He stutters to a stop when he reads the words “reactor core melt” in the incident description, freezing halfway through the door only for his head to snap up fast enough that something clicks when he hears a familiar if sheepish chuckle.

“Hello doctor.” Jinyoung says cheekily and remarkably cheerfully for someone who is currently  _ smoking _ . 

“Wha- h- you-” Jaebeom splutters, not sure where to look in horror first; the bright red of his arms all the way to his elbows threatening to blister already, the crispy ends to his hair or the actual  _ holes _ burned into his work scrubs.

“Can we skip the part where you yell at me for getting hurt again and just get to the bit where you kiss me better?” Jinyoung says, far too flirtatiously for a man who looks like he was on fire literally seconds ago. Jaebeom's panic gives way to alarmed fury and he wordlessly stalks into the room, grabs the back of Jinyoung's shirt and hauls him to his feet. “Hey, what-” He squawks, stumbling alongside Jaebeom as he drags him across the hall and shoves him into the emergency shower. “Jaebeom-” He starts to whine, only to squawk even louder when Jaebeom slaps the on button. Soot sluices off him in grimy streaks but the red on his arms and face starts to cool, the medicated water cascading onto him getting to work immediately.

“There are emergency showers all over engineering,” Jaebeom says icily, raising an unsympathetic eyebrow when Jinyoung grumbles about the cold, “do you need a refresher health and safety course? Because unless you give me a good reason why you trekked up here like this instead of using one I will report you to Officer Wang  _ and  _ the captain this time.” Jinyoung blanches - he knows that Jaebeom knows that he really can't afford another strike on his official record or he really will have to resit all of the safety accreditations to avoid suspension - and pulls out a devastating pout as he scrubs at his arms, but if there's one time Jaebeom is immune to it, it is now.

“I wanted to see you?” He offers, weakly like he knows - which he does - that it's just going to make Jaebeom angrier despite the little fluttery bit in his stomach that does a few backflips at the thought, but he puts his hands up in surrender when Jaebeom's eyebrow twitches. “Okay, look it wasn't that bad of a melt, honestly and it barely hurt and I would have left it entirely after washing up but Minhyuk starting panicking because he had to put out a really  _ tiny _ fire-” 

“A fire?!” Jaebeom screeches and Jinyoung immediately backpedals, hurrying forwards out of the stream of water to grab Jaebeom's hands.

“It was really tiny! It wasn't even enough to set off a smoke alarm and I'm not as bad as I looked, it was mostly just dirt and dust that puffed out of the spare core with the  _ really small _ and  _ immediately contained _ melt, I promise I'm okay.” He insists, lifting his arms up and turning his hands over to show off mostly healthy if somewhat pink skin. Too distracted to even notice let alone get distracted by their proximity - something he absolutely would do under any other circumstances - Jaebeom glowers at him and snatches his hands back out of the air, peering closer and gradually relaxing when it seems he's telling the truth. 

“Alright, but just- stay under the shower for a couple of minutes.” He grumbles, letting go and pushing him gently back towards to the cascade of water. Rocking back on his heels, Jinyoung sighs but nods morosely, though there's a odd glint starting to light in his eyes. Jaebeom pays it no mind, more preoccupied with checking the rest of him over for any burns or injuries, but thankfully he does seem mostly fine. “If you start feeling burning or tingling anywhere, let me or another doctor know, okay?” He says anxiously. Jinyoung rolls his eyes but nods anyway. 

“Yes I know.” He mutters, wrinkling his nose at Jaebeom's unimpressed glare. “Relax, it's not like this is the first time this has happened.” Jaebeom puffs up angrily.

“That is not a good thing!” He snaps, indignance rising at Jinyoung's snort. “I'm serious, Jinyoung, you-” 

“Come on, it's really not that bad-” Jinyoung whines, stepping forwards and out of the water to reach for Jaebeom's hand. Jaebeom doesn’t let him take it, instead prodding him in the chest accusingly.

“It's bad enough that you're here in the medical wing, don't try and play that off-” Jinyoung's eyes flash deviously; this is all the warning Jaebeom gets before he's grabbed by both arms and yanked forwards under the spray. It's cold enough to shock a gasp out of him and he's drenched almost instantly, hair plastered to his forehead and dripping into his eyes. He just gapes at Jinyoung, too shocked to speak.

Jinyoung bursts into laughter. Outrage and embarrassment overtaking disbelief, Jaebeom yanks his arms free and stumbles back out of the shower, folding his arms tightly and turning on his heel to stomp out of the room.

“Oh, hey, Jaebeom come on-” Jinyoung laughs, grabbing at his elbow; Jaebeom whirls back around and slaps his hand away, stepping up to him with a dark glare.

“Don't, just don't, you always do this, you always try and joke and laugh and make it out like it's nothing when I'm  _ worried _ about you-” Jaebeom shouts, all of his long-term frustration with Jinyoung's blasé attitude to his own safety and overall obliviousness to Jaebeom’s feelings that usually have him brushing this stuff off bubbling out at once- “every time, every time you do this and then you'll start sulking because I don't find it funny and it's just-” Jaebeom forces himself to stop, pressing both hands to his face as he takes a deep breath before pushing his hair back off his forehead- “you've been lucky so far but if you don't start taking things seriously, one of these days you're going to get seriously hurt. You’re the head of engineering right now and you need to start acting like it.” His last words hang in the suddenly heavy silence, the shower finally shutting off automatically. Jinyoung stares at him mutely, all the mirth drained from his face. 

The quiet stretches for a good thirty seconds. Jaebeom's shoulders slump and he sighs, looking down at the wet floor and plucking at his soaked uniform. 

“You're going to be fine, just keep an eye for any blistering.” He says quietly; he steps backwards and turns around, trudging from the shower room and heading for the office and the locker room beyond, medicated water dripping into puddles behind him.

Jaebeom's pulling a fresh shirt over his head, already dried off with his damp hair hanging in his eyes, when Jinyoung, hovering uncertainly in the doorway, clears his throat. He's fidgeting, corners of his lips turned down unhappily. Jaebeom looks away and straightens his shirt.

“I’m sorry. I didn't realise I was upsetting you so much.” He mumbles, pushing his hair back and wringing his hands in front of him. Jaebeom sighs and hangs his head, grabbing the edge of his locker door and squeezing hard. 

“It's not even- I just worry about you.” He says dejectedly, shutting the locker with a click; it beeps as it locks again. “I'm sorry too, I shouldn't have yelled. And you are doing a good job as head of engineering, I shouldn’t have said that.”

“It's okay,” Jinyoung says softly, closer now, “and you’re right, I- I'll retake the safety course. I know- I know that's not the point-” he stutters hastily when Jaebeom grits his teeth and turns to frown at him, hands raised in surrender, “I'll be more careful in general, I promise. And I'll do the course again as well, I really will this time.” His hands slowly lower, chin dipping with them. Jaebeom thaws a little; he looks so guilty and upset that he can't help it. 

“I'll tell Jackson that you said that.” Jaebeom says without inflection; Jinyoung droops a little more, lips pushing into a pout but he nods morosely anyway. Biting back a small smile, Jaebeom takes a step towards him and ruffles his wet hair. “Hey,” he murmurs when Jinyoung’s head stays bowed, gently tipping his chin up as though he doesn’t feel like he’s about to faint as he does so, “apology accepted.” He says, smiling when Jinyoung looks up, eyes wide and hopeful. “Just please take care of yoursel-” He says, finishing with a grunt and a breathless laugh when Jinyoung lurches forwards to hug him tightly.

“I will I promise, you won’t see me in here again.” He babbles, relief palpable in his tone and his tight arms. Jaebeom snorts softly and pats his back like his heart isn’t threatening to burst from his chest, not even minding that he’s now getting wet all over again.

“I mean- It’s okay, I-I like seeing you here, just not an exam table.” Jaebeom mumbles, gently extricating himself from Jinyoung’s grip; it takes a bit of doing, but eventually he can look him in the face again. There’s a faint blush of red over his cheeks and the bridge of his nose as he beams bright enough for his eyes to crinkle at the corners, but it’s probably just fading reactor burns. “Take it easy for the rest of your shift, alright? If I hear from anyone that you’re-” He stops with a flustered splutter when Jinyoung covers his mouth with his hand to stop him talking, an odd mixture of antiseptic and the strange smell that comes with working among reactor cores filling his nose. 

“You won’t.” He says cheerfully, dropping his hand and leaning forwards to peck him on the cheek before turning on his heel and scarpering. “Thanks Jaebeom, you’re the best!” He calls, throwaway and breezy, over his shoulder. Heart thudding, Jaebeom blinks after him in a daze for a second before lurching for the door into the office.

“Hey I mean it Park! Take it easy or I swear-” All he hears in return is fading laughter before the medbay door slides shut. Cursing his own soft heart, Jaebeom sighs heavily and knocks his head against the doorframe a couple of times, but he can’t help a begrudging smile from spreading over his face. 

Across the wing, Youngjae’s head pokes out from a private examination room. He stays silent, but his smug grin and eyebrow waggle says everything. Jaebeom glowers at him before stomping back to his locker.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hey there's more!! thank u guys sm for all of the love u gave the first part of this it really made me so happy TT~TT

“I can’t believe you actually made me resit the whole safety test.” Jinyoung whines pitifully into Jackson’s sofa. Between Jackson’s splutter and the pillow that hits him on the back of the head, Jinyoung surmises that Jackson is not amused.

“Do you want Jaebeom telling the captain? Because I wouldn’t put it past him to do that! And then we’d both be in trouble! And you could even get suspended!” Jackson huffs, punctuating each sentence with another smack of the cushion. Jinyoung whines wordlessly this time. "Oh come on, it wasn't that bad, it's basically all common sense." Another smack; this time Jinyoung sits up to glower at him. He smiles innocently and tosses the cushion to him.

"That's not the point," Jinyoung grumbles, snatching it out of the air and crushing it to his chest, "it's just embarrassing. I'm acting head of engineering and I'm having to redo health and safety courses." Jackson levels him with an unimpressed stare and Jinyoung pushes his face into the cushion with a sigh.

"You practically stood inside a melting reactor and then walked all the way to medical when you could have got in a shower fifty metres away," Jackson says flatly, ignoring Jinyoung's pitiful protests, "all because you fancy the head doctor. And you're wondering why you have to retake an exam that tests your common sense?" 

"Wow, tell me how you really feel." Jinyoung mutters, lifting his chin to nestle it onto the cushion. Jackson rolls his eyes and hops to his feet, stomping over to his bedroom and disappearing inside.

"Have you considered, I don't know, expressing your feelings through something other than exaggerated and plausibly deniable flirting?" He calls back disapprovingly. Jinyoung sticks his tongue out at the carpet. 

"Of course I have. It's just- not the right time yet." He snaps back haughtily to mask his own nervousness at the very idea, but as expected Jackson is not fooled; he marches back out, free of uniform and clad in sweatpants and a t-shirt, to bend over Jinyoung with a frown. He shrinks back into the sofa automatically but wrinkles his nose up at him.

"Just talk to him. It's Jaebeom, what's he going to do, splutter for a while then hide from you in an emergency shower? I'm pretty sure he has a thing for you too, I mean he puts up with all your weird flirting." Jackson says, all matter-of-fact and sure of himself. Jinyoung shoves the cushion into his face and pushes him away to stand up.

"I know, I know it would be fine but I'm scared and I don't want things to be awkward if he's not interested." Jinyoung mumbles, pacing up and down Jackson's carpet. Jackson sighs heavily and plops onto the sofa.

"It's your call. But he likes you. And he's too nice to get upset or be awkward with you for any length of time even if he doesn't." Jackson says gently, offering him an encouraging smile when Jinyoung glances anxiously at him. Before he can think of how to reply however, Jinyoung's watch beeps, a hologram reading  _ shift begins in fifteen minutes  _ projecting up from it when he lifts his wrist. He sighs and taps it, the words vanishing again.

"I'll think about it." Jinyoung says reluctantly. Jackson hums sceptically but doesn't say anything as he leaves his quarters. 

Already in his uniform from the safety exam, Jinyoung heads straight for the elevator that will take him to the engineering deck. He finds himself unable to stop thinking, head down as he passes fellow crew members in and out of uniform. After the -  _ extremely _ minor - reactor melt, Jaebeom had shouted at him. Properly shouted, with anger and worry and hurt; he’s never shouted at Jinyoung before and he had had no idea what to do, how to calm him down, how to cheer him back up when he'd slumped afterwards. In the end he'd panicked and apologised as best he could and played up the quote-unquote "weird flirting" which seemed to work well enough, but he does wish he'd just committed when he'd said he'd come to see Jaebeom, that he really did come with all his stupid tiny injuries just because he was shy and stupid and wanted to see him in an environment he knows how to handle.

Still, now isn’t the time to muse on his own cowardice; the lift doors open onto the main corridor through engineering and even from the far end of the corridor Jinyoung can hear layered screeching and something beeping furiously. Pinching the bridge of his nose, Jinyoung walks briskly down the length of the hall, breaking into a run when there’s another, more piercing shriek. 

The doors into the main engine bay slide open to reveal carnage: chairs tipped over, tools strewn across the floor and several orange and red lights blinking on each of the two floor cleaners currently racing the length of the engine bay far faster than the speed limiters on them should allow. There’s a small crowd of people in engineering greens cheering on the pair on the cleaners, half of them strewn along the apparent racetrack and the others clustered at a pair of wet floor signs that seem to mark the finish line. As Jinyoung watches, the cleaner with the red lights finishes first and a roar erupts from one bundle of engineers at the finish while another handful groan and stamp their feet.

"What is going on here?" Jinyoung calls out over the din; it falls silent almost instantly, the two on the cleaners whipping around in alarm while the spectators shrink down gingerly, a few attempting to scarper before they're singled out. Jinyoung slowly strides the length of the hall, the silence thickening with each step. Sheepishly, Yugyeom jumps down from the red lit cleaner while Jooheon attempts to sink deep enough into the seat of the other to not be visible. Jinyoung ignores both of them and steps up to Bambam who's standing with his arms defiantly folded next to one of the wet floor signs. 

He stops in front of him and lifts a hand, palm up. Bambam's lips twitch, nose lifting fractionally higher. Jinyoung beckons with his fingers and raises both eyebrows; Bambam breaks and groans and fishes a credit chip out of his pocket, slapping it into Jinyoung's palm.

"I told you Yugyeom would win," Jinyoung says smugly, stuffing the chip into his pocket and turning on his heel to reach up and hook an arm around Yugyeom's neck to drag him down and ruffle his hair. A relieved and gleeful cheer erupts again when everyone realises they're not in trouble and starts milling around, but Yugyeom immediately starts whining.

"How could you bet against me, Bam, where's the trust? The loyalty? I've never been so betrayed!" Yugyeom continues in the same vein for a while; attempting to conceal his grin, Jinyoung coos as he folds his gangly self into a hug, his head tucked under Jinyoung's chin. Bambam scoffs when he starts and starts whining when he doesn't stop for a while, bouncing over to hug Yugyeom and by extension Jinyoung too.

"Don't be mad, I just figured the newer cleaner would be faster anyway, I have faith in you!" He squeezes close and almost purrs when Yugyeom huffs and relents, one arm returning his hug with the other still clinging to Jinyoung. With some difficulty, Jinyoung manages to wriggle free, watching Yugyeom straighten up and hoist Bambam into the air who immediately starts cackling and kicking his feet.

"How did your exam go, O' great and wise head of Engineering?" Yugyeom asks over his shoulder, far too cheekily. Jinyoung glowers at him.

"It went fine. I passed easily." He says shortly, getting twin snorts in return.

"I can't believe Jaebeom actually made Jackson make  _ you _ do it, you're the only one he pulls that stick out of his ass for," Bambam muses incredulously, Yugyeom bursting into laughter and hanging off his shoulders; Jinyoung tries to interject but is summarily ignored, "mind you, he's probably hoping you'd replace-"

"Enough!" Jinyoung snaps shrilly, face bright red, "I was coming up for a refresher anyway!" He turns on his heel and storms away towards his office to twin peals of laughter.

 

Thankfully, the day passes without any reactor melts or anything else remotely hazardous at all. It’s all rather dull; Jinyoung spends the first half of his shift pacing the engineering bay, checking over green lights and slumped at his desk scrolling through automated emails. He contemplates cracking open the spare core to try and optimise output again once or twice, but the ordeal of relearning the safety exam and the look on Jaebeom’s face when he came in after it melted the last time he did that is enough to dissuade him. For today at least.

He manages to find something a little safer to stick his hands into however; thanks to the races, the two floor cleaners are in need of some rewiring and repair and when Jinyoung discovers this, he almost screeches with delight. Chaeyoung, the bringer of this fantastic news, looks at him like he’s space-sick when she’s chased away but doesn’t argue, probably just glad she doesn't have to fix it. And so, he manages to spend a few happy hours swapping burned out parts for new ones, oiling anything that needs it and reworking some of the fried wiring; floor cleaners aren’t built for drag racing after all, just cleaning and at a pretty slow pace at that. 

Engrossed as he is, Jinyoung doesn’t notice his visitor for what he suspects is quite a while, not until a subtly pointed cough jars him out of his machine-induced haze; he scrambles out from underneath the cleaner, slamming his elbow on the jack on his way out and jarring all the way up his arm. Swearing, eyes watering, scrubs and exposed skin on his face and hands and forearms covered in various oils and greases, Jinyoung squints up at his guest and becomes abruptly and painfully aware of all of these facts when he realises who it is.

“Hi Jaebeom,” he wheezes, clutching at his elbow and trying very hard not to cry, “what brings you down to my neck of the woods?” Jaebeom frowns, seeming genuinely concerned.

“Are you okay?” He asks, crouching down and peering at Jinyoung’s arm. Mortified, Jinyoung laughs somewhat hysterically and nods quickly.

“Yeah just- hit a nerve! I’m fine!” He insists, furiously rubbing his arm until it stops tingling. Jaebeom hums and purses his lips, not seeming entirely convinced but apparently willing to let it drop; he stands back up, brushes off his already spotless uniform in medical blue and white and halfway offers a hand to Jinyoung. Already stood up, Jinyoung doesn’t take it, but he thinks that may be for the best considering how Jaebeom takes one look at the state of his filthy hands and visibly blanches. “What are you doing down here?” Jinyoung chirps again - he’s well aware of Jaebeom’s general apprehension of the engineering deck due to an aversion to tidying and the thin layer of reactor core dust and engine oil that tends to coat everything regardless of how often cleaning crews come through as well as an apparent mild allergy to the reactor cores themselves. Apparently zoned out staring at Jinyoung’s hands, Jaebeom startles and clears his throat again.

“I just- wanted to congratulate you. On passing the exam.” He says haltingly. Jinyoung straightens, puffing up with glowing pride - sure it wasn’t hard, but it’s certainly nice to be congratulated by his favourite person on the ship. “I mean, I knew you would, but I just thought I’d- um-” He stammers, eyes widening guiltily and Jinyoung realises that he thought the puffing up was in offence instead.

“Thank you!” He says brightly. Jaebeom relaxes again, shooting him a broad relieved smile that shows off his perfect teeth and curves his eyes into pretty crescents and Jinyoung privately swoons a little bit. Maybe more than a little bit. In fact Jinyoung’s sure his answering smile is embarrassingly dreamy. “So, how are-”

“Jinyoung, help!” Comes an unexpected and unwelcome screech just when Jinyoung’s about to start an actual conversation, startling both him and Jaebeom; spare parts and tools flying everywhere, Yugyeom skids to a stop between them and dives behind Jinyoung. Bambam storms after him, utterly drenched with soot smeared on his face.

“Don’t hide behind Jinyoung! You deserve this!” He yells, brandishing a spray can of engine lubricant threateningly in Yugyeom’s and by extension Jinyoung’s and Jaebeom’s direction. Jaebeom balks and scrambles away, rounding the floor cleaner and peering around it as Yugyeom hides more squarely behind Jinyoung’s back.

“What are you two doing?!” Jinyoung demands, smacking at Yugyeom’s hands on his arms but he’s obstinate and clearly more scared of Bambam than him right now. Bambam points an accusing finger at him.

“He told me there was a hole in shuttle four’s exhaust and then puffed the engine when I was right next to it!” He screeches; Jinyoung’s eyebrows climb into his hair as Yugyeom squawks indignantly.

“I didn’t! It was an accident, I forgot you were down there-” He continues in the same vein of furious denial for a while during which time Jaebeom has emerged from the other side of the cleaner with an alarmed expression.

“Jaebeom, he’s fine,” Jinyoung hastily says over Bambam’s outraged reply and their continued bickering, “it’s just water, the shuttles have hydrogen fuel cells and the soot-” 

“Is from re-entry, I know, but you have no idea what’s in that soot and it also doesn’t mean he didn’t get burned, you should know how hot exhaust water can get.” He interrupts with a pointed look; he has a point. It shouldn’t have been hot unless the engine had been on for a while, and Bambam looks alright, but there is a considerable layer of soot covering most of his exposed skin. And clothes. And in his hair.

“-owe me! I will have revenge, even if Jinyoung gets oiled in the process-” Bambam says grimly, shaking the oil spray; both Jinyoung and Yugyeom yelp in protest and Jinyoung renews his efforts to shove him off.

“Bambam, please just- put that down, okay?” Jaebeom asks warily, reaching slowly for the spray. “Just let me check you over and you can get right back to threatening your coworkers.” Bambam glares at Yugyeom the entire time but slowly lowers his arm and lets Jaebeom take the can away from him; he does so very gingerly, quickly depositing it on the floor and wiping his hand on his scrubs with a wince. “Alright, come on.” He leads Bambam away towards one of the first aid rooms. Once they’re gone, Jinyoung slaps Yugyeom off him and wheels around. Yugyeom blinks innocently at him.

“Was it deliberate?” Jinyoung asks, the beginning of a headache throbbing at the base of his skull. Yugyeom shrugs and shoots him a grin before sprinting away. “Look where you’re going, idiot!” Jinyoung yells after he almost collides full force with another engineer carrying a box of parts.

“Yes Mister High Chief Engineer sir!” Is the only - highly stupid - answer he gets in return. Jinyoung turns away with a long-suffering sigh and shakes his head at a high-pitched yelp and the sound of a lot of small somethings clattering to the floor. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thanks for reading !!! I think this will have around 4 chapters but idk how soon they'll come out but each part should be relatively self contained so hopefully no cliffhangers!! subscribe if u would like to be told when new chapters come out!! and come hmu in the comments below or on [twitter](https://twitter.com/jbibbles/) or [curiouscat](https://curiouscat.me/jbibbles) with any thoughts/questions about this au or anything really!!


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> so!! just a heads up that this chapter involves a (mild) medical description of an injury inflicted on a minor (17 year old) by basically a police officer (the officer gets his comeuppance if that helps!!) and also implication of like, an unhappy home life (no details) and running away from said home so if that's smth you don't want to read please avoid this chapter!! I'll put a more detailed description/summary of what happens in the notes if u want to skip down and check before reading so stay safe fellas!!

“So…” Youngjae says after a few minutes’ silent paperwork; there’s a devious tone to it that has Jaebeom’s hackles raising instantly. “I hear we might get some downtime while we’re docked in Sigma Tau.” He says it airily, like he’s simply making an observation. Jaebeom doesn’t trust it. 

“Seems so.” He says evenly, glancing up at Youngjae - it’s not like he didn’t know considering the entire ship has been buzzing at the idea for days. Youngjae purses his lips, tapping his stylus against them and narrowing his eyes.

"Any plans?" He asks, just as lightly. Jaebeom bristles and focuses harder on his paperwork.

"Not yet." He bites out; he knows exactly where this is going. Or rather, two places this is extremely likely to go, the first being a veiled jab at how apparently boring he has become since taking the post as chief medical officer or the second-

"Maybe you should ask what Jinyoung's up to." That. Jaebeom sighs pointedly and doesn’t answer, but that’s never stopped Youngjae before. “I have it on good authority that he doesn’t have any plans yet either.” Jaebeom signs a form and swipes it off his screen, narrowing his eyes at the fresh accident report that replaces it. “Oi.” There’s a jab to his arm, presumably from a stylus. Jaebeom ignores it. “If you don’t ask him out before we dock, I’ll do it for you.” This Jaebeom cannot ignore.

“No you will not!” He hisses, slapping the stylus away from another poke at his arm and glaring at Youngjae, who looks far too pleased with himself. 

“Better get asking then, huh?” He says with a challenging grin and folded arms, leaning back in his chair and kicking his feet up onto the desk. Huffing irritably, Jaebeom halfheartedly slaps his shin and goes back to his work.

The thought stays with him though, nagging at the back of his mind throughout the rest of his shift and all the way back to his quarters. It's not like it's never  _ occurred _ to him to ask whether Jinyoung has plans during the coming downtime, it has, several times in fact. He just has no clue what to say and he really doesn't think that Jinyoung would even say yes if he did. Jinyoung's just out of his league, regardless of the over the top flirting he constantly sends his way; Jaebeom's not even convinced that's even noteworthy, Jinyoung seems to have a lot of the crew wrapped around his little finger while harbouring little more than common friendliness towards them and there's not been anything to suggest Jaebeom is any different. Plus, as Youngjae is so often keen to point out, Jaebeom himself is kind of boring. His plans for the downtime were to just chill out and wander around the station for a while, maybe go find some museums or see a couple of new holovids if there are any being shown, while Jinyoung's always gone along with the engineering crew's parties and events and excitement with apparent enthusiasm. 

No, it's just not realistic, Jaebeom muses glumly to himself as he lets himself into his quarters, there's no way Jinyoung would say yes even if he asked, he's definitely already got more exciting plans. He'd just be embarrassing himself. Morosely Jaebeom trudges to the bathroom, ready to wash the day off and fall into bed before his early morning shift tomorrow.

 

Jaebeom's halfway through stripping a medbay bed of sheets - thankfully the previous occupant's stay had been short and for minor reason - and his morning shift when he gets an unexpected call.

"Security Command to Chief Medical Officer Im, please acknowledge." Rattles through his communicator. Jaebeom straightens up, bringing his watch up to his mouth.

"Acknowledged,” he responds warily, “what can I do for you?" He doesn't tend to talk to Security, not high level officers, not unless something bad has happened.

"Two individuals with minor injuries are on route to the medical wing, please be advised that one of them was apprehended earlier today for attempting to break into storage and is believed to be a stowaway. They will be accompanied by another security officer, but as per protocol you are advised to stay cautious." Ah. Jaebeom rubs his eyes.

"Copy, command. Thank you for the heads up." The line fizzles once he responds and he drops his arm back to his side. Almost on cue, the main door into the medbay slides open and two in security yellow flanking a human - a kid really, they can't be much older than sixteen - in civilian clothes. One of the security people has a bundle of tissues held to their nose, stained rust red.

"Good morning Dr Im." The officer with the higher ranked insignia on his shoulder, some older guy called Park something or other, says briskly, one heavy hand clapping onto the shoulder of the civilian and directing them over to a bed. They hop up onto it scowling, cradling one hand close to their chest. The injured officer - who Jaebeom now sees is Mark, of course - picks a different bed and blots his nose gingerly. “See to Officer Tuan first.” Mark splutters a protest, flapping his free hand.

“No, I’m fine, see if the kid’s alright.” He insists; Park narrows his eyes but Jaebeom ignores him and heads for the kid. They cringe as he approaches, sunken eyes bright and scared behind a veneer of defiance. 

“Please let go of them and step back, Officer.” Jaebeom says mildly, eyeing the kid’s red and bruising wrist as he grabs a pair of gloves and snaps them into place. It looks suspiciously like a handprint. 

“This stowaway broke Officer Tuan’s nose, doctor, I-” He starts grandstanding instantly, but stops with a sneer when Mark talks over him. 

“Let the doctor do his job sir, then we can get back to work.” Mark says, very reasonably but bristling under the surface. Park squares his shoulders but finally steps back; Mark shoots Jaebeom a surreptitious grimace when he glances at him gratefully.

“Thank you,” Jaebeom says stiffly, turning his attention back to the kid, “okay. What’s your name?” He asks gently, grabbing a scanner off the end of the bed and tapping through settings. The kid shifts uncomfortably but their arm lowers a little bit from their chest.

“Hyunjin. And it’s he.” He mumbles. Jaebeom nods.

“Okay Hyunjin. Can you hold your hand out for me?” Hyunjin does so slowly, fingers slowly opening from their fist. Jaebeom holds the scanner over his wrist and sets it to work. “How old are you?” He asks, studying the growing image of his arm. 

“Seventeen.” Wow, and he's already stowing away on a starship? 

"Where are your parents?" Jaebeom asks neutrally, sadly expecting the sudden retraction of Hyunjin's arm.

"Not here." He mumbles reluctantly. Heart aching for the kid, Jaebeom nods.

"You have a minor fracture in your wrist. How did you get hurt?" He asks, watching Hyunjin carefully; he shrinks on himself, glancing fearfully at Park, who ignores him entirely. Mark nods grimly when Jaebeom glances his way. "Officer Park, you should report this incident to Security Command, I'll keep an eye on Hyunjin here with Officer Tuan while I treat his wrist." He says briskly, tone brokering no argument as he digs out a painkiller spray. Park looks like he's about to protest anyway, but gets no support from Mark so nods reluctantly and turns on his heel. The instant the medbay doors slide shut behind him, Mark's mild expression becomes furious.

"That asshole- the kid- Hyunjin didn't do anything wrong, Park grabbed him way too hard and he struggled and clipped me with an elbow, my nose isn't broken." Mark fumes, dabbing at his nose and chucking the tissues into the bin when no more fresh blood stains them. Unsurprised, Jaebeom nods and takes Hyunjin’s hand to spray his wrist; he relaxes instantly. 

“Don’t move yet,” Jaebeom tells him; he nods, holding his arm still, “I’m going to report Park to Command, if you’re happy for me to submit a report about your injuries?” Jaebeom asks as he finds a wrist brace and a sealed bottle of bone regeneration serum. Hyunjin blinks a few times, clearly surprised that he’s being asked, but nods vigorously once he’s processed it. “Mark, will you co-sign-”

“You bet your ass.” He cuts him off with a tight nod. Jaebeom flashes him an unhappy smile before returning his attention to Hyunjin. 

“I’m going to brace your wrist and give you an injection to speed up your healing, alright?” Hyunjin shrinks down at the word injection but nods reluctantly. Mark, having hopped off his own bed and come over to perch on his other side, starts talking to distract him while Jaebeom straps the brace into place and readies a needle. 

"So what are you doing on this ship?" He asks, leaning forward to keep Hyunjin’s attention away from his braced arm. He shifts uncomfortably.

"My cousin lives on Heira, they were always nice to me and said I could come stay with them for a while." He mumbles, picking at his jeans with his uninjured hand. 

"Heira, that's the planet Sigma Tau orbits, right?” Mark asks eagerly, looking between Hyunjin and Jaebeom. Jaebeom shrugs, gently wiping Hyunjin’s shoulder with a disinfectant, but Hyunjin nods. “Then we can definitely help you get there." Hyunjin perks up, looking hopefully up at Mark, who grins. Jaebeom takes advantage of the distraction to get the injection over with, thankfully without any flinching. 

“Right, all done. Your wrist should be fine in a few days,” Jaebeom says, patting Hyunjin on the knee who beams up at him, “I’ll call someone to take you down to Administration, they’ll be able to set you up with a bed and canteen pass for the rest of the journey, I need to talk to Mark.” Hyunjin nods and Jaebeom strips off his gloves and brings his watch up to his mouth. “Youngjae, some assistance in the main ward, please.” He gets a vague grumble in return but Youngjae emerges from the office with a bright grin. “Could you take Hyunjin down to Admin and get him set up for the last of the journey to Sigma Tau?” Youngjae nods and beckons for Hyunjin to follow. 

“Come on, I’ll show you around.” He beams; Hyunjin hops off the bed with a tentative smile and follows him out of the ward. 

“Stars, I hope Park gets fired, that asshole-” Mark immediately starts swearing to himself, not noticing Jaebeom pulling on another pair of gloves- “the kid wasn’t even doing anything, he was just hiding in storage, he-”

“Shut up now, I need to check your nose.” He ignores Mark’s long-suffering groan and sets about inspecting it.

“It’s fine, I know when my nose is broken.” He grumbles. Jaebeom arches an eyebrow and grabs his chin to hold him still and carefully press on the sides of his nose.

“What about that time you got into a fight with a bouncer on-”

“One time!” Mark splutters over him, jerking his chin out of Jaebeom’s hand irritably. Jaebeom hums skeptically but steps back and takes off his gloves.

“Well  _ this  _ one time, you were right. Your nose is fine.” He says dryly, ignoring Mark’s huff and grabbing the pad with the examination of Hyunjin’s arm. “Now come and help me write this report, I need you to sign off on it.” 

 

It’s closing in on midnight by the time Jaebeom shuffles into the canteen; having not eaten since before midday and not having a shift until this time tomorrow, he’s more focused on eating than catching up on sleep. The report about Park’s behaviour had been processed almost immediately, but Security Command had asked for in-person testimony from him and Mark before the committee. They’d eventually agreed to an immediate suspension pending further investigation into apparent other reports of similar behaviour, so it was worth doing, but very long-winded. 

There’s only one person staffing the canteen, but they don’t do much besides glance at Jaebeom’s ID and wave him inside with a grey tentacle, another pair flipping through a datapad while a fourth holds a mug of something steaming. Murmuring his thanks, Jaebeom heads for the buffet and stuffs a bowl full of fried rice and lemon chicken.

There's one small cluster of people in engineering green in the canteen, chatting quietly with each other. Jaebeom heads away from them and plops into a comfy chair next to a small porthole, the shutters down as they're currently in hyperspace. Exhausted, he enjoys the near silence, just focussing on his food and satisfying his rumbling stomach.

"Hey-" Jaebeom's too tired to jump at the unexpected interjection, just blinking sluggishly at his bowl before lifting his head- "may I?" Jinyoung asks softly, jerking his head at the chair opposite Jaebeom's, a chipped pink mug clasped between his hands. Jaebeom stares blankly up at him for a long awkward moment, long enough that the hopeful smile on his face starts to wobble. "It's okay if- it's late, I get it, you-"

"No!" Jaebeom splutters too loudly, wincing when the light chatter from the other table quietens for a moment. Jinyoung's eyes are wide but his smile looks a little more stable again. "No, I'm sorry, I've- had a really long shift, please-" he nods at the chair and Jinyoung beams, plopping down into it happily- "how- how are things? With you?" He winces again at his own tied tongue but Jinyoung doesn't seem to pay much attention to it; he sips his drink and smiles again, a bit more sympathetically.

"I'm okay, same as usual. What happened on your shift?" He asks. Jaebeom, having expected a longer answer and therefore taken another large mouthful of rice, chokes and covers his mouth as he struggles to swallow. Jinyoung, credit to him, doesn't laugh, though he does hide a smile behind his mug; flushing pink, Jaebeom clears his throat.

"Just- a security officer was- suspended. For using unnecessary force." He says haltingly, not technically supposed to talk about it yet. But it doesn't seem to matter because Jinyoung hums knowingly, a dark expression passing across his face. 

"The kid is okay though, right? We heard about it earlier, Admin got him set up in the engineering beds." He says, worry creasing his forehead. Jaebeom nods, softening inside at his concern for someone he doesn't even know.

"He's got family on Heira, I'll contact them when we reach the system and take Hyunjin to them once we've docked." Jinyoung nods, palpably relieved; Jaebeom smiles sheepishly, looking down at his bowl and stirring the last of his rice around. 

"If you need a hand, let me know, okay?" Jinyoung says warmly, nudging Jaebeom's shin under the table with the toe of his shoe. Jaebeom's head snaps back up and he stares back open mouthed for a few seconds before shaking himself and nodding.

"I will." He replies gratefully; Jinyoung nods and settles back into his chair, eyes sliding away as he sips his drink again with a small smile. Jaebeom watches him for a little while, long enough it's probably weird, until he finds himself speaking before really thinking his words through, a little voice at the back of his head that sounds suspiciously like Youngjae cheering as he blurts: "Would you come with me?" Jinyoung's gaze drifts back and his head tilts curiously. His eyes glitter in the low light, warm and encouraging. "I- I'm not very good with directions," he confesses; it's true, but this may not be the most flattering of excuses he could come up with for wanting to spend time with Jinyoung- "I get lost a lot on new stations, so- if you aren't busy-" Jinyoung's small smile spreads wider, the corners of his eyes crinkling prettily. 

"I'll come with you." He murmurs, shoe nudging Jaebeom's leg again. Butterflies fluttering in his stomach, Jaebeom sheepishly returns his smile. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> in case anyone skipped, this chapter basically involved jaeb getting angsty and nervous about asking jy out at the start, then he gets a call from security about Hyunjin (the 17 year old who ran away from home to join nice family in a different system) whose wrist gets fractured by a security officer who then gets like. basically fired for it thanks to mark and jaeb and hyunjin's gonna get taken to nice relatives/friends on a planet the ship is docking near by jaeb and jinyoung who jaeb awkwardly asked for help <3 hope u all enjoyed!! as per usual hmu down below or on [twitter](https://twitter.com/jbibbles) or [curiouscat](https://curiouscat.me/jbibbles)


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry for the delay I was ill for a week rip,, hope u enjoy!!

Coming out of hyperspace means a busy day down in engineering. Reactor cores are, ironically, much easier to maintain during jumps, they just sit there and pump all their power into warp fields and propulsion, but when they’re in system and on manual flight they are another beast entirely. So much less energy is required for near-field flight that the risk of meltdowns becomes that much higher what with all that energy just cycling inside with nowhere to go and none of that even includes the actual slowdown and switchover to the near-field thrusters and controls required when the ship comes out of hyperspace. One would think it would be automated, and to be fair it mostly is, but a lot of systems require maintenance and manual overrides during this time. It’s all rather hectic and needs as many hands on deck as possible.

“What the hell do you two think you’re doing?!” Of course, this is not what happens. Bambam, Yugyeom and Hyunjin skid to a stop at the end of the corridor and whip around to face him as he hangs out of a side door into the reactor bay, apparently adopted into their ridiculous antics. Jinyoung tends to forget that the pair of them, despite all their buffoonery, fast-tracked through the academy and got their engineering licenses years early and are, as such, only a couple of years older than the (as he insists) soon-to-be-eighteen-years-old ex-stowaway. “We are leaving hyperspace in fifteen minutes! Get in here!” Jinyoung yells down at him, the clamour behind him punctuating his frustration. 

“You’re the one who told us to keep an eye on Hyunjin!” Bambam shouts back indignantly.

“You still need to do your job!” Jinyoung retorts.

“We are doing the job you gave us!” Yugyeom yells, even more indignant than Bambam. Jinyoung, fuming, is about to argue back again but there's a couple of voices shouting his name and the clock is indeed ticking. 

"If you don't get in here I will make sure neither of you get shore leave on Sigma Tau!" He snaps, turning on his heel and slamming the door on their chorused yelps of protest. He also knows, deep down, that even if they don’t help, he probably won’t follow through with his threats; cursing his own soft spot for the pair of them, he stomps back into the fray.

 

To their credit and Jinyoung’s relief, Bambam and Yugyeom actually do their jobs; Jinyoung gets several independent reports of this even before they crash into his office once the ship is back into near-field flight and readying to dock at Sigma Tau, but crash in they do with Hyunjin still in tow and they are for certain smeared in engine oil, so they’ve clearly been doing  _ something _ .

“So we’re good to go to Sigma right?” Bambam demands, scrubbing at a particularly stubborn patch of oil on his overalls and groaning when it doesn’t budge. Jinyoung, knee-deep in shore leave requests he very wisely put off approving before entering the system, flaps a hand at him and grunts a yes, presuming they either submitted requests he will subsequently sign or didn’t do that which means two fewer things for him to sign; either is fine at this point. Yugyeom whoops and grabs Hyunjin’s and Bambam’s hands, dragging both from the office at a run.

“Answer your comm if Jaebeom calls you!” Jinyoung shouts distractedly after them, forgetting to follow up with exactly  _ why  _ Jaebeom might call them but that should be pretty obvious since they’re well aware of Jaebeom being the one arranging Hyunjin’s meeting with his cousin. A meeting for which Jinyoung keeps forgetting he’s going to be present; he really needs to take a shower before they leave, he’s really quite gross and sticky with oil right now. Fortunately, electronic paperwork doesn’t require cleanliness to complete and it really is more urgent right now. He’ll get around to the shower. 

 

He doesn’t get around to the shower. Not before they dock at least; thankfully the rest of engineering, eager to get official allowance of time off, practically barricade him in his office during the docking procedure so he actually finishes signing them all off by the time the ship has stopped moving. Unfortunately, he doesn’t manage to escape to his quarters before Jaebeom, all neatly styled hair and pristine uniform and not covered in engine grease, knocks on his door. He doesn’t even have a wrinkle in his shirt. Jinyoung, sat cross-legged on his chair with oil smeared all over his face and his hair dragged back off his face with an alice band he managed to beg off Chaeyoung, stares up at him wide-eyed, screaming internally.

“Uh. Hello.” Jinyoung says, cringing. Jaebeom blinks back quickly, rocking back on his heels. 

“Hi,” he says after a short pause, “um. Do you- Are you still happy to c- to come with me? To take Hyunjin to his family?” He asks haltingly. It’s almost funny watching him fight to keep his apprehension off his face, clearly terrified that Jinyoung’s going to say yes and just come with him like this, grease and all, but then it’s also not funny at all because the apprehension is warring with something shy and embarrassed, like he thinks Jinyoung’s forgotten or changed his mind or something, which could not be further from the truth. He’s been inordinately excited about it in fact and Jackson’s threatened more than once to record his eager gushing and send it to Jaebeom if he didn’t stop being irritating. 

“Yeah of course!” He exclaims, jumping to his feet. “I just really need a shower first, but I can meet you at Airlock 1 in about half an hour?” He offers, shooting Jaebeom a grin as he grabs his ID off the desk. Jaebeom’s relief is hilariously palpable and he smiles back. “You’ll have to round up Hyunjin anyway, Bambam and Yugyeom have dragged him somewhere.” He warns, but Jaebeom just nods and waves a hand. 

“I’ll find them, don’t worry.” He says over his shoulder, a little bounce in his steps as he heads out of the engine bay. Jinyoung watches him leave, giggling privately to himself, before shaking himself and locking up his office.

 

Airlock 1 is bustling when Jinyoung jogs into the bay. It’s not so much an airlock really since it doesn’t work like a standard airlock in the sense that it A, is much bigger and B, doesn’t have the normal two doors, instead opening out only into pressurised areas like the dock of a space station. So not an airlock at all really, but it’s easier to just call it Airlock 1. Busy as it is, it takes Jinyoung a second to find who he’s looking for, but eventually Yugyeom’s frantic waving gets his attention. He, Bambam, Hyunjin and Jaebeom are all clustered a little apart from the main flow of people out of the ship; Jinyoung trots over to them, grinning at Hyunjin. He beams back, genuine excitement on his face. It’s nice to see considering the circumstances under which he found himself on the ship.

“Shall we?” Yugyeom enthuses, bouncing in place. Bambam looks a little more apprehensive, eyeing the crowds in distaste, but he relaxes a little when Yugyeom grabs his hand. Hyunjin nods quickly, taking off after Yugyeom when he begins to plough the furrow and after a moment’s hesitation Jaebeom follows, Jinyoung falling into step beside him. He folds his arms tightly, cringing closer to Jinyoung when a rather overenthusiastic pair of science officers almost bowl him over on their way past; Jinyoung steadies him automatically and flushes when he glances over with wide eyes.

“Sorry.” They both blurt at the same time then dissolve into stilted giggles. Jinyoung smiles down at his shoes as they keep moving and Jaebeom, having changed into something a little less formal since dropping in on Jinyoung, unfolds his arms to fiddle with his shirt, folding the sleeves up to his elbows and fussing with the buttons, eventually settling on half-open over the plain t-shirt below. He looks different in civilian clothes - not really a surprise - but Jinyoung feels off-balance; he’s used to buttoned-up Dr Im and his professionalism and endearing little peeks at the sweet and genuine person underneath that, but there’s no barrier of a work environment between Jinyoung and this Jaebeom and ironically it’s Jinyoung who feels revealed and unsure of how to proceed. He’s so much more approachable like this, like it wouldn’t be ridiculous for Jinyoung to like him and be liked back. At work they’re almost polar opposites, Jaebeom all clean cut and smart and Jinyoung elbow deep in machinery and coated in grease but here, they’re just two people, two normal people on shore leave spending time together who might, if Jinyoung plays his cards right and gets his fervent wish, end up on a date later. It’s terrifying and elating at the same time. 

“Hey,” a tentative interjection startles Jinyoung out of his thoughts; Jaebeom glances between him and where he’s lagging behind with an uncertain furrow to his brow, “are you okay? If- if you’ve got somewhere you’d rather be, it’s no problem-” He sounds so apologetic and understanding despite the disappointment tugging the corners of his lips down that Jinyoung, realising how he must look glaring down at his shoes, panics and acts, however unwisely, on pure instinct; he breaks into a grin and surges forwards, linking his arm through Jaebeom’s and dragging him towards the others and out into the access corridor leading deeper into the station. 

“No way,” he enthuses brightly, Jaebeom stumbling alongside him, “I’ve been looking forward to this for days!” Jaebeom splutters wordlessly for a few seconds, staring openly at Jinyoung when he glances over with relief and embarrassment and tentative happiness passing over his face. Still screaming internally, Jinyoung tugs on his arm, clumsily dragging him closer until their shoulders knock together then squeezing his bicep with his opposite hand. It’s firm enough even before he tenses in surprise; Jinyoung swallows thickly and tries to deflect with a bright smile. It works well enough, Jaebeom looking away again with a squeaky laugh and something warm and tender blossoming in Jinyoung’s chest.

“Okay.” He mumbles happily, beaming ear to ear when Jinyoung risks another glance and staying pressed close to his side. Jinyoung, content and marginally calmer, finally pays attention to their surroundings and regrets it, coming eye to eye with Bambam, Yugyeom and Hyunjin, stood waiting for them at the entrance into Sigma Tau’s main dock ward. Hyunjin at least seems none the wiser, just bouncing excitedly on his heels and grinning at Jinyoung, but the other two have matching gleeful grins, eyebrows waggling deviously. A muscle twitching in his eye, Jinyoung tries to glare at them as intensely as he can while moving as little of his face as possible but they are, of course, not discouraged.

“Your cousin and his family are meeting us in the market ward.” Jaebeom, thankfully oblivious to the shenanigans occurring, frowns down at the projection from his watch; a blue line weaves its way from a red dot in the docks up to a yellow one on another level via a transit terminal somewhere up ahead. Bambam, sensing blood, leans over, peering down at the map.

“Lead the way.” He says, something evilly delighted brimming under the surface of his cheery tone. Jinyoung feels Jaebeom wilt and, not bothering to try and disguise his glare this time, tugs on his arm and leads him forwards. Hyunjin, the sweet innocent child, falls into step with a little skip, dragging Yugyeom with him. Bambam follows too, snickering at the glare Jinyoung shoots him.

“Thanks.” Jaebeom mumbles almost inaudibly. Jinyoung pats his arm and smiles, carefully not looking directly at the signs or guiding lines on the floor leading towards the transit hub. 

It’s not a long walk, maybe ten minutes to cross the length of the docks, before they’re stood before the transit cars. They look like glorified lifts, nothing as fancy as some of the bigger stations Jinyoung’s visited, but they do their job; they all pile inside, Jaebeom swiping his watch over the control panel and requesting the market ward. It dings softly in reply and an automated VI gently asks them to step away from the doors; they slide shut and the car jolts into motion. Jaebeom, apparently content for Jinyoung to continue clinging to his right arm, grabs the handrail running around the walls and steadies them both, but the other three almost go sprawling, much to their apparent amusement. Jinyoung rolls his eyes, about to chide the two apparent adults into being more careful, but the words die in his throat when Jaebeom snorts, biting back a smile at Yugyeom’s wounded gasp. 

“What if we’d hurt ourselves, then you wouldn’t be laughing.” He grumbles, whining when Jaebeom laughs and lets go of the railing to ruffle his hair. 

“I think you’d be fine, there is a doctor in here.” He retorts; Yugyeom scoffs, muttering under his breath and jabbing an elbow back into Bambam’s side when he snorts too. They start bickering and Hyunjin, bright eyed and free of his wrist brace, rounds on Jaebeom eagerly. 

“So it’s all sorted right? I can- I can stay here, and no one else will find out where I went?” He asks, bouncing on the balls of his feet. Jinyoung reflexively squeezes Jaebeom’s arm - he’s developed a soft spot for the kid having heard his story - and relaxes along with Hyunjin when he nods. 

“You’re all set. Everything’s signed, you’re free to start over here.” He says gently. Hyunjin grins ear to ear.

“Thank you for everything.” He says earnestly. Jaebeom is visibly taken aback for a while, long enough for the transit car to slow to a stop and the doors to slide open, but once they’ve started moving, Hyunjin leading the way with an excited squeal, Jinyoung catches him looking down and beaming at nothing, eyes suspiciously glossy. Jinyoung squeezes his arm again, nudging him gently only to lose all of his breath when he glances up and turns that smile on him.

Thankfully, he’s distracted by a shout from across the plaza, huge and bustling and lit by bright artificial sunlight, they emerge into - a tall man in a bright jacket yells from a fountain in the middle, hopping up and down and waving both arms in the air. Hyunjin whoops in return, taking off at a sprint towards him and the few others standing around him. With a squawk, Jaebeom rips free of Jinyoung’s arm and runs after him, shouting for him to slow down, which, unfortunately, leaves Jinyoung with Bambam and Yugyeom. They take up position either side of him, each slinging an arm around his neck.

“So…” Bambam begins innocently. 

“How are things?” Yugyeom finishes, just as nonchalant. Bristling, Jinyoung tries to shrug them off, but they’re stubborn and won’t be dislodged.

“You and Dr Im seem rather friendly.” Bambam muses slyly, Yugyeom trying to muffle snickers beside Jinyoung’s ear. Jinyoung stays stoically silent, watching Jaebeom catch up to Hyunjin just as the tall man gathers him into a hug, hoisting him into the air with a booming laugh, the others all beaming and chattering to each other. “Did you finally find the guts to ask him out or are you still pussyfooting around the subject?” Jinyoung doesn’t respond, but he thinks his gritted teeth and squared shoulders may be answer enough. Indeed, Yugyeom snorts and jabs him in the side, snickering when he cringes. 

“Told you he wouldn’t have- ow!” He yelps when Jinyoung sticks an elbow into something soft, taking advantage of his sudden weakness to break free of them both and speed walk over to the touching reunion up ahead. Hyunjin is still hanging off the man who is, presumably, his cousin and the others clustered around him family and friends of said cousin; Jaebeom’s explaining Hyunjin’s situation with regards to the ship and events thereon, his manner the warm side of professional, but the smile he offers Hyunjin is fond. 

“Thank you for looking after him.” The cousin says warmly, grabbing Jaebeom’s proffered hand and shaking it vigorously. 

“No need to thank me at all.” He waves an airy hand and steps back as Yugyeom and Bambam burst onto the scene, introducing themselves and shooting Jinyoung meaningful looks as Hyunjin, with a final wave and shouted thanks to Jaebeom over his shoulder, drags them away in the direction of the markets. Jinyoung, shaking his head fondly after them, nudges Jaebeom's arm with his elbow.

"That was a good thing you did for him." He says simply. Jaebeom glances at him then looks down with a breathed laugh, pink creeping up his neck but a pleased smile still on his face. 

"Anyone would have done the same." He mumbles, rubbing the back of his neck. 

"Doesn't change the fact that you did a good thing." Jinyoung counters, grinning when Jaebeom huffs, his lips pushing out into a little embarrassed pout. Taking pity on him, Jinyoung nudges him again. "So," he says, louder and more casual, "what do you want to do now?" Jaebeom's head snaps up, eyes wide and surprised.

"O-oh um- I don't know." He blurts, wincing when Jinyoung rolls his lips together to hide a smile. "I- there's a park ward. We could- go and walk around for a while?" He offers tentatively, already bracing like he's expecting a swift rejection.

"That sounds great!" Jinyoung enthuses, maybe a little more than necessary but it's worth it to see Jaebeom perk up again. It does sound nice to be fair, though he imagines that's mostly due to the company than the destination.

"Are you sure? If there's something else you'd rather do-" Jinyoung shakes his head, smiling and shifting a little closer. His knuckles bump the back of Jaebeom's hand and he visibly jumps, but he doesn't move away. His eyes are wide, curious and a little bit hopeful. Jinyoung daren’t read any more into it than that.

"I'm happy with whatever you want to do." He says earnestly. A little too earnestly; his faces warms when Jaebeom blinks quickly and looks down, but he's smiling really sweetly so it can't be too bad. Slowly, he turns his hand just enough to catch Jinyoung's and tangle their fingers together.

"Okay." He whispers, lifting his head again. Jinyoung swoons internally as the full force of his smile turns on him. “I’d lead the way but that’s- that’s probably a bad idea.” He laughs sheepishly and Jinyoung’s face hurts from his helpless grin; he squeezes Jaebeom’s fingers gently and tugs him back towards the transit hub. 

“Leave it to me!” He says, overblown and full of mock bravado. It’s worth the internal embarrassment just to hear Jaebeom’s laugh, but then he returns the squeeze to his fingers and steps up next to him and presses close to his side and Jinyoung swears he’s walking on air.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thanks for reading!!! I promise the actual date bit will be in the next chapter this one just turned out twice as long as I thought it would!!! hmu down below or on [twitter](https://twitter.com/jbibbles) or [curiouscat](https://curiouscat.me/jbibbles) with your thoughts!!


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> more jjp in space for y'all but while u are here,, check out my markbum in space series ([gays in space](https://archiveofourown.org/series/1407394)) it's good!!! and sweet and soft!! you'll like it I promise and I uploaded the first chapter of the second part [beyond](https://archiveofourown.org/works/19421914) a couple of days ago!! go check it out!!!

This isn’t a date, Jaebeom tells himself for the umpteenth time in half an hour. At least, he doesn’t  _ think _ it is. Surely if it was a real date Jinyoung would have said something, even if they’ve been holding hands the entire way to the park ward. Even if Jinyoung’s been blushing almost as much as he has himself. Even if he’s got “good luck on your date” messages from both Mark and Youngjae, presumably informed by Yugyeom and Bambam of what’s happening. 

Maybe it really is a date, a little voice whispers to him at the back of his head. It had started off sly when they’d first left the ship, like it was an impossibility and he was silly for even thinking it, but now it sounds panicked, like it’s an actual reality which of course means there’s a huge multitude of things that could go wrong and cause Jinyoung to end up hating him or laughing at him or something equally as devastating. 

The transit car jolts to a stop and shocks Jaebeom out of his head; he stumbles forwards after Jinyoung, their joined hands stretched between them. The sun is brighter out here and warmer, a few clouds drifting over the simulated sky above the parks. The one before them is grass with trees scattered along the paths crisscrossing the stretch of it, but there are projected signs pointing towards different sections and biome domes with different flora. And fauna; Jaebeom can hear birds twittering and singing and there are a few hopping around in front some people throwing down some crumbs for them. 

Jinyoung sucks in a deep breath and lets it all out in a rush, squinting up at the sky with a huge grin on his face.

“It’s nice to get some sunlight, even if it’s artificial.” He says brightly. Jaebeom hums.

“It is.” He murmurs, closing his eyes and basking in the warmth. They snap back open when Jinyoung lets go of his hand just for his face to heat up when he instead takes his arm again, heart repeating the flips it did when he did it the first time. Jinyoung just beams at him when he glances over, tugging on his arm and pulling him towards the winding paths. 

“Let’s see what the biomes domes are like.” He says eagerly. Jaebeom, helpless to do anything else in the face of Jinyoung’s smile, agrees and stumbles along beside him. 

He sneaks surreptitious glances at him as they walk, wistfully admiring the way the dappled light filtering through the leaves above plays over Jinyoung’s face and shines off his hair. He really is beautiful. Swallowing thickly, Jaebeom looks away again.

“Hey-” he jumps, glancing back at Jinyoung in surprise- “you okay?” He asks, head cocked and smile halfway between curious and worried. Jaebeom opens and closes his mouth stupidly a few times before shaking himself out of his daze.

“I’m fine,” he coughs, laughing sheepishly, “I’m just-”  _ painfully nervous-  _ “glad you came with me.” He says weakly, but Jinyoung lights up, answering smile huge and delighted. He lets Jaebeom’s arm fall to take his hand again and squeezes it, dragging him along a little faster towards the white domes at the far end of the park.

“I’m glad you asked,” he says softly, his ears turning pink under Jaebeom’s surprised stare, “I- I’d been hoping you would for a while.” He finishes in a rush, looking down with a bashful smile. 

“Oh.” Jaebeom squeaks. This he did not expect. “Um. Sorry I kept you waiting.” He blurts and instantly regrets it, wincing when Jinyoung’s head whips around, eyes wide and cheeks flushed. He blinks a few times, then bursts into laughter. Jaebeom, not entirely sure if it’s good laughter or not, chuckles weakly in return. They’ve stumbled to a stop, other park-goers shooting them questioning looks as they skirt around them.

Jinyoung’s mirth quiets a little and he raises his head again, turning to face Jaebeom fully. He reaches over, tentatively taking his other hand and taking half a step towards him. Jaebeom, stricken, just stares at him as he smiles, soft and sweet.

"I meant it when I said I was looking forward to this. I-" he chuckles again, halting and squeaky, and looks down- "I think- I don't know, I just really like you. So it made me really happy when you asked me to come with you." His gaze lifts again when Jaebeom, unable to reply with real words, wheezes and gapes at him. His smile trembles, fingers tightening on Jaebeom's.

"You like me?” Jaebeom manages to splutter. Jinyoung bites on the inside of his cheek and nods. “You- really?” He regrets asking the instant it escapes his mouth, cringing and shaking his head. “Sorry, I- I mean that- I like you too. I didn’t realise- you did. Like me, I mean.” Jinyoung, eyes wide, breaks into a sunny grin, swinging their hands between them.

“Really?” He asks, softly teasing. Jaebeom hangs his head. “How did you not realise?” He giggles when Jaebeom lets out a wounded noise.

“I thought you were just- being nice.” He mutters, bristling and hunching his shoulders when he keeps laughing. His head snaps back up in alarm when Jinyoung drops his hands, only for him to stumble forwards a step when he’s abruptly dragged into a hug, Jinyoung’s arms tight around his waist and his face pushing into Jaebeom’s neck.

“I mean, I was being nice. But I was also flirting with you.” He mumbles, fingers twisting in the back of Jaebeom’s shirt. Staggered, Jaebeom barely remembers to return the hug, patting his back and leaning his cheek on Jinyoung’s hair. It’s as soft as it looks.

“Oh.” Jinyoung’s shoulders shake with more muffled laughter, but this has a definitely relieved tone to it. “So this really is a date?” Once again, his mouth moves before he gives it conscious permission to do so. Jinyoung, thankfully, is still smiling when he steps back, smaller and shyer.

“Yeah. I’d like it to be, anyway.” He says. Something finally settling into place in his chest, Jaebeom breathes out in a rush and smiles, reaching out to grab Jinyoung’s hand again. He takes it gladly, lacing their fingers together and tugging gently. 

“We’d best get on with it then, I guess.” Jaebeom says, a lot more brightly. Jinyoung nods, pulling him into step beside him as they resume heading for the biome domes.

“I’m surprised you didn’t realise sooner, considering Yugyeom and Bambam were involved.” Jinyoung says conversationally as they approach the entrance to the first of the domes - a tropical carbon-based rainforest if the sign over the entryway is to be believed. Jaebeom hums; in retrospect, Jinyoung is right as every interaction he’s had with either of the junior engineers seemed to revolve around Jinyoung or Jaebeom’s thoughts on him, even the last time Yugyeom had been carted up to medical with radiation burns. When he hadn’t been whining about the cold water in the emergency shower, he’d been interrogating Jaebeom about his plans after returning Hyunjin to his cousin, what he was going to do, if Jinyoung was going to go with him. At the time, Jaebeom had been preoccupied with, well, doing his job, but now it makes a lot more sense, as does Youngjae’s series of increasing exasperated sighs and groans at his expense. In fact, he’s probably going to be on the receiving end of a lot more.

“I’m- well. Not surprised.” He mumbles - as most of his friends can attest, he’s not the most astute with regard to matters of the heart - as he pulls the heavy plastic slats covering the door into the dome aside for Jinyoung to step through, following him into the short corridor ending in a second similarly covered doorway. It’s already steamy in here, warmth rolling in from the greenhouse. Jinyoung snorts softly, opening the slats for him this time.

“Well, now you mention it.” He says dryly as they emerge into the greenhouse. It’s hot and sticky and full of noise, croaking and chirping and all manner of calls echoing in the space, with lush greenery and trees rising high into the sky - the interior of the dome must have the same simulation screens as the top of the station as it looks seamless from down here, the corridor behind them just set into a rocky outcropping. The path before them is a neat trail of bark chippings, leading them into gentle meanders tending to the left. Jaebeom huffs as they start walking - he didn’t have to agree quite so readily - but he softens again at a nudge to his side and a broad grin complete with little eye wrinkles directed at him when he glances to his right. “I’m kidding. It’s cute, really.” He coos when Jaebeom scoffs; a little wounded, Jaebeom stuffs his free hand into his jeans’ pocket and kicks at the chippings, ignoring both Jinyoung’s snickers and his own flush. 

He’s brought up short, freezing in a dead stop, when something barrels across the path a few metres in front of them. Jinyoung yelps in surprise, cowering behind Jaebeom and peeking up over his shoulder. 

“What was that?” He hisses. Jaebeom, heart pounding and his grip on Jinyoung’s hand probably far too tight, isn’t sure; it looked a bit like a deer. It probably wasn’t a deer though, just something similar. He’s not sure how popular Earth deer are in systems thousands of light years from Earth. 

“I don’t know. I think it’s gone though.” Jaebeom answers. Jinyoung breathes a sigh of relief and emerges from behind him. He pushes his hair back off his face, fingers carding carelessly through soft brown locks. 

“Let’s go then.” He says imperiously, nose in the air and a lingering flush turning his ears pink. Jaebeom bites back a smile and nods, letting himself be led deeper into the greenhouse. 

Thankfully, nothing else jumps out at them in the tropical greenhouse or any of the other biomes. Jaebeom’s favourite was the snowy tundra, the visitors funneled through a clear tube through snow and sparse coniferous forests to shield them from the cold, but that was mostly because they managed to see what looked like an arctic fox with a couple of cubs. Jinyoung apparently liked all of them, but he perked up especially in the underwater domes, content to stand and watch all manner of sea creatures swimming around the glass tunnel through which they walked. It was, overall, a far better day than he’d dared hope it to be and he’s genuinely sad when the simulated skies above redden then darken into night, even if his tired body cries with relief.

Jinyoung leads their wandering back to the transit cars and, to his combined relief and disappointment, sends them heading back down to the docks. He turns when the doors slide shut, sealing just the pair of them into the car.

“This was really fun.” He says brightly. Jaebeom sags slightly with relief, glad that Jinyoung shares his opinion. But then Jinyoung shifts and looks down, chewing on his lip nervously and he tenses right back up again. “What- what are your plans for the rest of the shore leave?” His tone shifts a little, wavering nervously. Jaebeom rubs the back of his neck sheepishly.

“I’m not really sure. Nothing very exciting.” He mumbles, but strangely Jinyoung looks more hopeful. “Um. There are a couple of places I wanted to visit down on Heira. Like, cities and nature reserves and stuff. But beyond that I don’t really know.” It must sound rather boring when he says it aloud, but Jinyoung seems genuinely interested, albeit still nervous.

“Do you- could I join you? For some of it anyway?” He asks tentatively. “I’d like to, if that’s alright with you.” He looks torn between anxious and amused as Jaebeom gapes at him for a moment before spluttering to answer.

“Yes! Yes of course, that would be- great. Really great. If that’s what you want to do.” Jinyoung’s expression clears and he takes Jaebeom’s hand as the transit car doors open. In a daze - Jinyoung wants to  _ spend more time  _ with him - Jaebeom follows him out, vaguely hoping his smile isn’t as dopily pleased as he fears it is. 

“Then I’ll come with you,” Jinyoung says firmly, almost skipping with delight, “though I will confess to another small ulterior motive.” He says this with a conspiratorial air and Jaebeom finds himself automatically swaying closer to him as they walk. “It also gives me an excuse not to hang out with Yugyeom and Bambam all the time.” He stage-whispers, chuckling when Jaebeom glances at him in surprise. “Just- if I tell them I’m doing stuff with you, they’ll leave me alone and I won’t have to go to all of their parties and stuff.” He shrugs, lips twisted wryly. 

“Do you not want to go?” Jaebeom asks haltingly, surprised when Jinyoung vehemently shakes his head.

“No! No way, I just never had a good enough excuse not to. They’re great, but I just- don’t really like parties that much.” He laughs sheepishly. Jaebeom has never been so relieved. 

“I don’t either.” He says, probably pointlessly - it’s not exactly uncommon knowledge - but Jinyoung’s eyes twinkle and he grins as he swings their linked hands between them.

The rest of the walk back into the ship is quiet, but the good peaceful kind of quiet. It stays quiet until they reach the elevators to the different parts of the ship and they’ve each pressed their respective floor button.

“So I’ll- meet you in the canteen tomorrow morning? We can figure out something to do.” Jinyoung offers, his smile bright and hopeful. Jaebeom nods, trying and probably failing at not coming across as too eager, but Jinyoung just grins and bounces excitedly on the balls of his feet. “Great.” He chirps as the lift slides to a smooth stop on the engineering deck. With a final smile, he steps out of the elevator and into the hallway; acting on impulse, Jaebeom hangs out of the elevator by one hand and grabs his wrist with the other, fingers sliding down to his hand when he turns in surprise.

“Um-” he stutters, panic taking over and freezing him in place as he immediately forgets what he wanted to say- “just- goodnight.” He says lamely, wilting a little - he’d wanted to be cool and say something suave and kiss him on the cheek or something but Jinyoung’s just so pretty and intimidating and intimidatingly pretty that none of his thoughts seem able to survive looking at his face. Defeated, Jaebeom looks away and lets go of his hand, preparing to slink back into the elevator and hide his shame, only for Jinyoung to catch his fingers and step towards him again.

“Goodnight Jaebeom,” he says softly, cheeks pink, “I’m really glad you like me too.” He leans forwards, eyes falling shut; Jaebeom, impressively, doesn’t squeak when Jinyoung kisses him, even though it feels like his heart’s about to beat from his chest. It’s soft and sweet and over too quickly and Jaebeom’s eyes stay shut a second too long, because Jinyoung’s grinning and trying not to giggle at him when he does. 

“Goodnight.” He says again, like an idiot; this one really was a squeak. Jinyoung blinks a couple of times, then breathes a laugh, the happiest Jaebeom’s ever seen him. 

“Goodnight.” He repeats too before finally stepping back and letting go of Jaebeom’s hand. “See you tomorrow!” He calls over his shoulder with a final wave. Grinning back sheepishly, Jaebeom waves at him too before stepping backwards into the elevator. The doors slide shut with a soft ding and Jaebeom buries his face in both hands, unable to stop smiling.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> one more chapter left after this!! it's more of an epilogue imo but it'll be cute!! hmu down below or on [twitter](https://twitter.com/jbibbles/) or [curiouscat](https://curiouscat.me/jbibbles) with thoughts and comments!!


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here it is!! thank u everyone for all ur support T~T

“And you’d been doing so well too,” Jackson sighs, shaking his head sagely, “what had it been, nearly a hundred days without you getting caught in a full melt?” Jinyoung, cross-legged and gently steaming in the middle of an emergency shower, glowers up at him. It had been one hundred and forty since the last time a working reactor core melted with him inside it, but he’s damned if he’s going to correct him. Jinyoung doesn’t even know what he’s doing down in Engineering anyway. Jackson snorts when he grumpily asks as much: “I came to yell at Jooheon for breaking my coffee machine again-” what is this, the third time he’s done that? “And of course, this is when you choose to stick your head in a melting reactor.  _ Again _ .”

“I didn’t stick my head in-” 

“No, you just put your whole body in there instead. That’s much better.” Mark chips in dryly, summarily ignoring his vehement protests. Jackson vigorously nods an agreement and flaps a hand back at Mark; he’s leaning against the wall opposite the emergency shower door, arms folded and an eyebrow cocked.

“Why are you here either?” Jinyoung snaps back, hunkering down and shivering. Emergency showers are always so cold. Mark grins, showing off all his teeth. It’s disconcerting.

“I’m here to talk to you.” He says amiably. Jinyoung doesn’t trust it. “Jackson, why don’t you go get Jaebeom? I’m sure he’ll want to take a look at Jinyoung once he’s done in there.” Jackson grins at his truly evil suggestion; he’s never going to hear the end of it.

“Back in a few.” He says over his shoulder, ignoring Jinyoung’s spluttered pleas to do literally anything but that. Mark cocks his head and takes a sauntering step forwards to lean his shoulder against the doorframe. Jinyoung can’t help but note the stun baton slung on his hip.

“So,” he starts, eyes flashing, “you and Jaebeom huh? What’s it been, three weeks?” He asks, light as can be. Jinyoung shrinks himself as small as he can get and nods. Mark hums, lips twitching. “Pretty good going. You seem happy.” Jinyoung nods again, because he is, though not specifically right now. “Jaebeom does too.” He continues, eyes boring a hole into Jinyoung’s forehead. Jinyoung’s tongue feels glued to the roof of his mouth so he, for the third time, nods mutely. “It’s nice. I like seeing him happy, so if that changes-” his eyes narrow just a fraction and Jinyoung flinches like he’s been slapped- “the reason behind that change will have to answer to me and Youngjae.” Ah. So it’s one of  _ those  _ conversations. Jinyoung’s not sure which of Mark or Youngjae he’d rather face - Mark is security but Youngjae can be sly and underhand and just plain  _ evil  _ while maintaining the most innocent smile.

“Seems fair.” Jinyoung manages to croak. Mark smiles, big and friendly. It’s even scarier than if he were to glare.

“Jaebeom’s been my best friend since the academy and I take the protection of my friends very seriously-” he says it so lightly, but Jinyoung can hear the underlying “if you hurt my friend you’ll die and no one will find your body” loud and clear- “regardless of where the threat comes from.” Now Jinyoung, having caught glimpse of himself in the chrome of the shower head, knows that before the shower turned on he was covered in soot and dust and any and all exposed skin was bright pink from radiation burns and figures he looks much the same now, just all streaky and wet and bedraggled. He cannot fathom that he looks, in any way, shape or form, threatening and tries to stare up at Mark and say this as clearly as he can with wide eyes and a panicked expression. Thankfully, Mark seems to agree and softens slightly. He raises a hand, flapping it in the air between them and grinning marginally less scarily. “I know you’ll be great together. This is just customary. I’m ninety-five percent sure Jackson had the exact same talk with Jaebeom on his way down.” He says breezily. Almost on cue, footsteps start echoing through the corridor and both Jaebeom and Jackson come into view, the latter puffed up and self-righteous and the former a little pale-faced and cowed. He gathers his wits again when he spies Jinyoung, hurrying into the shower and crouching down next to him with a deep anxious frown. 

“What happened?” He asks frantically, yanking his datapad from its pouch on his belt and tapping through it. Jinyoung’s mouth opens, then he glances up at Mark, who shoots him a meaningful look before following Jackson back down the corridor, and closes it again. “How did you get caught in a melt again?” He laments quietly, lifting the pad higher and angling it at Jinyoung’s face; his skin feels less hot now, just tight and itchy as the medicated water heals his burns. Jaebeom however still looks a little pale and he won’t meet Jinyoung’s eyes, fingers pressing a little harder than necessary on the pad.

“Jackson’s an idiot.” Jinyoung blurts without thinking. Jaebeom startles and looks up at him with wide eyes. “I- I don’t know what he said but I swear I didn’t put him up to it. Just- ignore him.” He says quickly, absolutely terrified that Jackson in his well-meaning defensiveness has accidentally scared Jaebeom off. 

“Oh, um-” Jaebeom looks down again, shoving a hand through his hair - it’s grown out a bit, falling into his eyes if he doesn’t hold it back with wax or a headband - and scratching at the back of his neck- “don’t worry. I know he means well.” He sighs, deftly typing something into the pad and locking it again. Jinyoung leans forward to grab his hand once he’s stashed it back into his belt and his head snaps up. 

“What did he say?” He demands, preparing to jump up and run after Jackson to smack him upside the head, radiation burns be damned. Jaebeom softens a little, gently taking Jinyoung’s shoulders and pushing him back under the stream of water.

“He heavily implied that he’d kick me out an airlock if I-” he turns a little pink- “if I broke your heart. Which- I’m not planning on doing, just for the record.” He tails off into a mumble, letting go and looking away. Jinyoung breathes a laugh, rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly.

“Mark said the same thing to me. And I’m also not planning on doing that. To you I mean, the uh- heart-breaking- thing.” He winces and frowns down at his pink hands - thankfully less pink than they were. He lifts his head again however when Jaebeom heaves a deep sigh; he’s got his datapad back out again, glaring down at it as he jabs out a message. 

“I am going to kick his ass, every damn time-” He mutters, locking the pad again and shoving it back into place. He deflates a bit when he looks back up to meet Jinyoung’s apprehensively curious stare. “Mark just- him and Youngjae are stupidly overprotective. Though it seems Jackson’s the same for you.” He says wryly, grimacing when Jinyoung groans and rolls his eyes.

“Is he ever.” He grumbles. Jaebeom offers him a little sympathetic smile before carefully taking his right wrist, turning it this way and that and peering at it closely.

“Well, your burns should be fine now at least,” he says, a little more brightly and with no small measure of relief, “though you’d better have a good reason why you got stuck in another melt.” Jinyoung groans again, even louder. 

“It just happens sometimes, I was doing regular maintenance,” he whines, pouting furiously when Jaebeom just arches an unimpressed eyebrow, a revenge plan for his doubt beginning to simmer in his mind, “I’m not lying! I swear, I don’t do it on purpose!” He can feel himself getting shriller but Jaebeom just hums, dropping his arm and reaching for his pad again. Jinyoung lunges, wrapping both arms around Jaebeom’s neck - he squawks loud enough just at that and he full on screeches when Jinyoung lets his weight drop backwards, dragging him into the freezing shower. He squirms, knees slipping on the wet floor to send his full weight crashing onto Jinyoung; he sprawls to the ground, Jaebeom collapsing unceremoniously onto his chest and his chin bumping hard onto his sternum. Instantly drenched, uniform sticking to his shoulders and his hair plastered to his forehead and dripping into his eyes, Jaebeom pushes up onto his hands and gasps, both at the cold and in general shock, staring in wide-eyed betrayal at him. Jinyoung bursts into laughter.

“Jinyoung!” Jaebeom yelps, scrambling upright as Jinyoung cackles. “That wasn’t funny!” He snaps, but his lips tremble as he presses them together irritably. Predictably, this does not help; Jinyoung cradles his aching stomach and wheezes, the back of his head thunking against the tiled floor. “It  _ wasn’t-  _ Jinyoung!” Jaebeom’s voice cracks and he too dissolves into laughter, burying his face in both hands until Jinyoung manages to calm himself long enough to sit up.

“Sorry,” Jinyoung snickers, entirely unapologetic, “I slipped.” Jaebeom snorts indelicately and pushes his hair up and out of his face in a move so unfairly attractive that Jinyoung chokes on his own saliva. Finally, the water switches off with a beep from the control panel by the door, a large red circle with “Continue?” written across the middle flashing on the touch screen.

“Right,” Jaebeom mutters, shooting Jinyoung a half-suspicious, half-concerned look as he hacks and clears his throat, “you’re lucky my shift just finished, I don’t have another dry uniform.” Oh yeah, Jinyoung forgot that he’d burst into Jaebeom’s quarters that morning to find him hanging up washing. He grins innocently, like this was absolutely all part of his plan. 

“Well when you’re changed into something dry we can go and get something to eat.” He chirps innocently. Jaebeom side-eyes him but can’t help his lips turning up into a smile as he stands up. He shakes his hands off, glancing down at his dripping self distastefully, before offering Jinyoung a hand. 

“Well, your burns seem fine now, so I guess we can.” He murmurs. Jinyoung beams and grabs his hand, letting himself be dragged upright and swaying forwards to press a soft kiss to his cheek. Or rather, he tries to but Jaebeom intercepts him with a hand on his chin, turning him a little further to peck him on the lips instead. He smiles at Jinyoung’s surprised intake of breath, dropping his hand to place a flat palm on his sternum. 

He shoves lightly, hard enough Jinyoung stumbles backwards a step, then darts away and slaps the control panel; Jinyoung screeches wordlessly, frozen in shock, as the water starts back up again, somehow even colder than before and soaking him all over again.

“Hey!” He shouts, but all he gets in return is peals of laughter as Jaebeom ducks out of the door at a run, sprinting away down the corridor. Feet almost sliding out from beneath him, Jinyoung dashes after him, following his wet footprints and yelling his name furiously with a stupid giddy grin on his face.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all for reading!! This story has been so fun to write and I really enjoyed it so I hope u all did too!! Let me know what u thought either down below or on [twitter](https://twitter.com/jbibbles/) or [curiouscat](https://curiouscat.me/jbibbles)!! also if u like markbum and space check out [beyond](https://archiveofourown.org/works/19421914), the sequel to [antique boy](https://archiveofourown.org/works/13381905) <3 if u like this fic you'll probably like those too!!

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading!! let me know what u thought either down below or on [twitter](https://twitter.com/jbibbles/) or [curiouscat](https://curiouscat.me/jbibbles)!!


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